Title: The Life & Times of Sara Sidle

Rating: T

Summary: (You all know by now)

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews! I am starting to feel better too:)

November 3, 1984- 11:53 am

As the ambulance arrived at the hospital, they wheeled Sara out on a gurney, which she quickly protested to. Josh ran after the EMTs as they led her into the hospital, but he was quickly led back to the waiting room where he paced back-and-forth until he could see Sara. When the doctors finally came through the double-doors, they led him into her room which he almost ran to.

He took a seat next to her and suddenly went into big-brother mode.

"Are you okay?"

She smiled. "Yes, I'm fine."

"You didn't sustain any head injuries?"

"No, not really. Other than having a really bad headache, I'm fine."

"Do I need to get you some aspirin?"

"I already took some."

"Okay..." he sighed rubbing his head.

"You don't look so good."

He looked up and shook his head. "Ah, uh...no, I'm fine, I was just worried about you."

"I'm fine."

He nodded and lowered his head before swallowing hard. "I...uh...my little sister died in a car accident three years ago."

Sara's eyes widened and she grabbed his hand, rubbing it softly. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay..."

"My mother killed my father."

"I know..."

"In front of me."

He looked up at her. "Oh god..."

She shook her head. "It's strange...I...I feel sort of sad, but at the same time...I feel relieved."

He put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"...The reason my mother killed him was...well...he had taken me to a strip club for my birthday."

She laughed a little, choking back tears.

"He claimed he was bringing me into 'adulthood'," she said making the quotations with her fingers. "He uh...actually poured bottles of alcohol down my throat. I got sick the next day."

"How many bottles?"

"I...I really don't know...I...I lost count after three."

"I'm sorry, Sara, I mean-"

"And then I went home."

He rubbed her shoulder gently.

"And Mom was sprawled out on the floor...she had been drinking."

She swallowed.

"So I went back to the club and brought Dad back...that proved to be a bad move. As soon as I brought him back home...Mom and him started getting into it...and...I tried to make them stop, I really did, but...they wouldn't listen, and...as soon as Dad hit me, she grabbed the knife..."

"Sara, it wasn't your fault."

She shook her head. "Thanks...I really appreciate your words, but...I wish I felt the same."

He took her in a tight embrace and she just cried into his shoulder.

"It's okay," he whispered.

"Josh?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you here? I mean...why are you on my side comforting me?"

He smiled. "You know, I've...been through a lot of crap too, and I just know what it's like to feel so alone...you know my dad...he wanted me to become some big sports star."

He laughed a little bit.

"Mom wanted me to become the president of my Dad's stupid oil company, but...I told them I was going to do what I wanted to do."

"Good for you."

"Well...I told them I wanted to be a lawyer, but...as soon as I told them, they freaked, and uh...I'll let you fill in the blanks."

"I'm sorry, Josh, I mean...I never knew-"

"Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault."

He smiled, changing the subject.

"As soon as we get back to school I'm kicking Melissa's sorry ass."

She looked up at Josh with a grin on her face. "But I don't even know if it was her who pushed me."

"She had something to do with it, believe me."

She closed her eyes and nodded. "Probably."

"Your head feeling better?"

"A little bit."

"Good."

A doctor came into the room and smiled at the scene in front of him.

"Sara, you feeling better?"

She looked up to see the doctor.

"Yeah."

"Good. Get some sleep and then you can go home. I'm sure your parents won't want you going back to school today after what happened."

Her parents...'her' parents...right.

"Okay."

Sara pulled away from Josh and laid down in the bed.

"Go ahead and sleep," Josh told her.

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

He smiled. "Duh."

She grinned as she closed her eyes.

As she drifted off to sleep, he smiled as he slipped the plastic goggles over her eyes and held back the urge to laugh.